Abstract

I should like to comment on reported differences between the disease as seen in the Pacific area and in Africa. It is almost impossible to compare statistics from an area, such as Tahiti, where the disease has been thoroughly and painstakingly investigated, with other parts of the world where for reasons of geography our knowledge is at best fragmentary. Elephantiasis of the scrotum, for example, is not particularly common in Tahiti as compared with that of the limbs. In some parts of Africa it is reported to have a high incidence. However, in Tahiti, virtually the entire population of the island has been studied for filariasis and elephantiasis; in most parts of Africa it is reported to have a high incidence.However, in Tahiti, virtually the entire population of the island has been studied for filariasis and elephantiasis; in most parts of Africa the cases of ifiarial disease which are seen in hospitals, and to a lesser extent in surveys, are those which are deemed by the persons afflicted to warrant medical attention.